In a move that makes no sense to me, rising-star Carmelo Anthony and over-the-hill rocker Gene Simmons have officially teamed up. But before you get a mental image of Carmelo dressed in drag and full makeup -- damn, too late!! -- let me assure you that Anthony isn't joining Kiss. And Simmons, most assuredly, is not joining the NBA. No, they're sponsoring an IndyCar Series driver together.

Carmelo and Kiss: A...winning...combination?

Basketball, rock music, and cars...man, that goes together better than a 5-year-old, broken glass, and a Zippo. How in the world did these two guys team up? Apparently, they met through mutual friends. I can only guess that Carmelo was doing charity work at a Senior Citizens Community Center and ran into Ace Frehley or something.

Supposedly, this budding entrepreneurial relationship has made Carmelo a Kiss fan. Sort of.

"Now I [listen to Kiss]. I never really listened to them (before). Just seeing their merchandise and listening to them here and there [has given him an appreciation]."

Yeah, yeah. Whatever. Well, it'll be interesting to see if this relationship goes the way of the Usher/Cavaliers union. Actually, I'd be surprised it ended that well.

Merchandistastic Extra: Carmelo's official Web site has a store that sells "Melo Gear." One of the things you can buy there is a Carmelo Anthony Jack-In-The-Box. It's signed by Carmelo and is touted as "a perfect way to start any Carmelo collection." Which is 100 percent correct, if you want your collection to totally suck ass.